California Law on Nonprofit Health Facility Transactions - Corporations ...

CORPORATIONS CODE - CORP TITLE 1. CORPORATIONS [100 - 14631] ( Title 1 enacted by Stats. 1947, Ch. 1038. ) DIVISION 2. NONPROFIT CORPORATION LAW [5000 - 10841] ( Heading of Division 2 amended by Stats. 1978, Ch. 567. ) PART 2. NONPROFIT PUBLIC BENEFIT CORPORATIONS [5110 - 6910]

( Part 2 added by Stats. 1978, Ch. 567. ) CHAPTER 9. Sales of Assets [5910 - 5930]

( Chapter 9 added by Stats. 1978, Ch. 567. )

ARTICLE 2. Health Facilities [5914 - 5926] ( Article 2 added by Stats. 1996, Ch. 1105, Sec. 4. )

5914.

(a) (1) Any nonprofit corporation that is defined in Section 5046 and operates or controls a health facility, as defined in Section 1250 of the Health and Safety Code, or operates or controls a facility that provides similar health care, regardless of whether it is currently operating or providing health care services or has a suspended license, shall be required to provide written notice to, and to obtain the written consent of, the Attorney General prior to entering into any agreement or transaction to do either of the following: (A) Sell, transfer, lease, exchange, option, convey, or otherwise dispose of, its assets to a for-profit corporation or entity or to a mutual benefit corporation or entity when a material amount of the assets of the nonprofit corporation are involved in the agreement or transaction. (B) Transfer control, responsibility, or governance of a material amount of the assets or operations of the nonprofit corporation to any for-profit corporation or entity or to any mutual benefit corporation or entity. (2) The substitution of a new corporate member or members that transfers the control of, responsibility for, or governance of the nonprofit corporation shall be deemed a transfer for purposes of this article. The substitution of one or more members of the governing body, or any arrangement, written or oral, that would transfer voting control of the members of the governing body, shall also be deemed a transfer for purposes of this article. (b) The notice to the Attorney General provided for in this section shall include and contain the information the Attorney General determines is required. The notice, including any other information provided to the Attorney General under this article, and that is in the public file, shall be made available by the Attorney General to the public in written form, as soon as is practicable after it is received by the Attorney General. The notice shall include a list of the primary languages spoken at the facility and the threshold languages for Medi-Cal beneficiaries, as determined by the State Department of Health Care Services for the county in which the facility is located. The Attorney General may require the nonprofit corporation to provide certain components of the notice in any of these languages. (c) This section shall not apply to a nonprofit corporation if the agreement or transaction is in the usual and regular course of its activities or if the Attorney General has given the corporation a written waiver of this section as to the proposed agreement or transaction.

Page 1 of 8

(d) This section shall apply to any foreign nonprofit corporation that operates or controls a health facility, as defined in Section 1250 of the Health and Safety Code, or a facility that provides similar health care, regardless of whether it is currently operating or providing health care services or has a suspended license.

(Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 782, Sec. 1. (AB 651) Effective January 1, 2018.)

5915.

Within 90 days of the receipt of the written notice required by Section 5914, the Attorney General shall notify the public benefit corporation in writing of the decision to consent to, give conditional consent to, or not consent to the agreement or transaction. The Attorney General may extend this period for one additional 45-day period if any of the following conditions are satisfied: (a) The extension is necessary to obtain information pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 5919. (b) The proposed agreement or transaction is substantially modified after the first public meeting conducted by the Attorney General in accordance with Section 5916. (c) The proposed agreement or transaction involves a multifacility health system serving multiple communities, rather than a single facility.

(Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 782, Sec. 2. (AB 651) Effective January 1, 2018.)

5916.

Prior to issuing any written decision referred to in Section 5915, or giving a written waiver under subdivision (c) of Section 5914, the Attorney General shall conduct one or more public meetings, one of which shall be in the county in which the facility is located, to hear comments from interested parties. At least 14 days before conducting the public meeting, the Attorney General shall provide written notice of the time and place of the meeting through publication in one or more newspapers of general circulation in the affected community and to the board of supervisors of the county in which the facility is located. This notice shall be provided in English and in the primary languages spoken at the facility and the threshold languages for Medi-Cal beneficiaries, as determined by the State Department of Health Care Services for the county in which the facility is located. If a substantive change in the proposed agreement or transaction is submitted to the Attorney General after the initial public meeting, the Attorney General may conduct an additional public meeting to hear comments from interested parties with respect to that change.

(Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 782, Sec. 3. (AB 651) Effective January 1, 2018.)

5917.

The Attorney General shall have discretion to consent to, give conditional consent to, or not consent to any agreement or transaction described in subdivision (a) of Section 5914. In making the determination, the Attorney General shall consider any

Page 2 of 8

factors that the Attorney General deems relevant, including, but not limited to, whether any of the following apply: (a) The terms and conditions of the agreement or transaction are fair and reasonable to the nonprofit corporation. (b) The agreement or transaction will result in inurement to any private person or entity. (c) Any agreement or transaction that is subject to this article is at fair market value. In this regard, "fair market value" means the most likely price that the assets being sold would bring in a competitive and open market under all conditions requisite to a fair sale, the buyer and seller, each acting prudently, knowledgeably and in their own best interest, and a reasonable time being allowed for exposure in the open market. (d) The market value has been manipulated by the actions of the parties in a manner that causes the value of the assets to decrease. (e) The proposed use of the proceeds from the agreement or transaction is consistent with the charitable trust on which the assets are held by the health facility or by the affiliated nonprofit health system. (f) The agreement or transaction involves or constitutes any breach of trust. (g) The Attorney General has been provided, pursuant to Section 5250, with sufficient information and data by the nonprofit corporation to evaluate adequately the agreement or transaction or the effects thereof on the public. (h) The agreement or transaction may create a significant effect on the availability or accessibility of health care services to the affected community. (i) The proposed agreement or transaction is in the public interest. (j) The agreement or transaction may create a significant effect on the availability and accessibility of cultural interests provided by the facility in the affected community.

(Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 782, Sec. 4. (AB 651) Effective January 1, 2018.)

5917.5.

The Attorney General shall not consent to a health facility agreement or transaction pursuant to Section 5914 or Section 5920 in which the seller restricts the type or level of medical services that may be provided at the health facility that is the subject of the agreement or transaction.

(Added by Stats. 2003, Ch. 65, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2004.)

5918.

The Attorney General may adopt regulations implementing this article.

(Added by Stats. 1996, Ch. 1105, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 1997.)

5919.

(a) Within the time periods designated in Section 5915 and relating to those factors specified in Section 5917, the Attorney General may do the following:

Page 3 of 8

(1) Contract with, consult, and receive advice from any state agency on those terms and conditions that the Attorney General deems appropriate. (2) In his or her sole discretion, contract with experts or consultants to assist in reviewing the proposed agreement or transaction. (b) Contract costs shall not exceed an amount that is reasonable and necessary to conduct the review and evaluation. Any contract entered into under this section shall be on a noncompetitive bid basis and shall be exempt from Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 10290) of Part 2 of Division 2 of the Public Contract Code. The nonprofit corporation, upon request, shall pay the Attorney General promptly for all contract costs. (c) The Attorney General shall be entitled to reimbursement from the nonprofit corporation for all actual, reasonable, direct costs incurred in reviewing, evaluating, and making the determination referred to in this article, including administrative costs. The nonprofit corporation shall promptly pay the Attorney General, upon request, for all of those costs. (d) (1) In order to monitor effectively ongoing compliance with the terms and conditions of any sale or transfer of assets subject to Section 5914, including, but not limited to, the ongoing use of the charitable assets in a manner consistent with the trust pursuant to which they are held, the Attorney General may, in his or her sole discretion, contract with experts and consultants to assist in this regard. (2) Contract costs shall not exceed an amount that is reasonable and necessary to conduct the review and evaluation. Any contract entered into under this section shall be on a noncompetitive bid basis and shall be exempt from Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 10290) of Part 2 of Division 2 of the Public Contract Code. The nonprofit corporation shall pay the Attorney General promptly for all contract costs. (3) The Attorney General shall be entitled to reimbursement from either the selling or the acquiring corporation, depending upon which one the burden of compliance falls, for all actual, reasonable, and direct costs incurred in monitoring ongoing compliance with the terms and conditions of the sale or transfer of assets, including contract and administrative costs. The Attorney General may bill either the selling or the acquiring corporation and the corporation billed by the Attorney General shall promptly pay for all of those costs.

(Amended by Stats. 2002, Ch. 427, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2003.)

5920.

(a) (1) Any nonprofit corporation that is defined in Section 5046 and operates or controls a health care facility, as defined in Section 1250 of the Health and Safety Code, or operates or controls a facility that provides similar health care, regardless of whether it is currently operating or providing health care services or has a suspended license, shall be required to provide written notice to, and to obtain the written consent of, the Attorney General prior to entering into any agreement or transaction to do either of the following: (A) Sell, transfer, lease, exchange, option, convey, or otherwise dispose of, its assets to another nonprofit corporation or entity when a material amount of the assets of the nonprofit corporation are involved in the agreement or transaction.

Page 4 of 8

(B) Transfer control, responsibility, or governance of a material amount of the assets or operations of the nonprofit corporation to another nonprofit corporation or entity. (2) The substitution of a new corporate member or members that transfers the control of, responsibility for, or governance of the nonprofit corporation, the substitution of one or more members of the governing body that would transfer voting control of the members of the governing body, or any arrangement, written or oral, that would transfer voting control of the entity shall be deemed a transfer for purposes of this article. (b) The notice to the Attorney General provided for in this section shall contain the information the Attorney General determines is required. The notice, including any other information provided to the Attorney General under this article, and that is the public file, shall be made available by the Attorney General to the public in written form, as soon as is practicable after it is received by the Attorney General. The notice to the Attorney General shall include a list of the primary languages spoken at the facility and the threshold languages for Medi-Cal beneficiaries as determined by the State Department of Health Care Services for the county in which the facility is located. The Attorney General may require the nonprofit corporation to provide certain components of the notice in any of those languages. (c) This section shall not apply to a nonprofit corporation if the agreement or transaction is in the usual and regular course of its activities or if the Attorney General has given the corporation a written waiver of this section as to the proposed agreement or transaction. (d) This section shall apply to any foreign nonprofit corporation that operates or controls a health facility, as defined in Section 1250 of the Health and Safety Code, or a facility that provides similar health care, regardless of whether it is currently operating or providing health care services or has a suspended license. (e) This section shall not apply to an agreement or transaction if the other party to the agreement or transaction is an affiliate, as defined in Section 5031, of the transferring nonprofit corporation or entity, and the corporation or entity has given the Attorney General 20 days advance notice of the agreement or transaction.

(Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 782, Sec. 5. (AB 651) Effective January 1, 2018.)

5921.

Within 90 days of the receipt of the written notice required by Section 5920, the Attorney General shall notify the nonprofit corporation in writing of the decision to consent to, give conditional consent to, or not consent to the agreement or transaction. The Attorney General may extend this period for one additional 45-day period if any of the following conditions are satisfied: (a) The extension is necessary to obtain relevant information from any state agency, experts, or consultants. (b) The proposed agreement or transaction is substantially modified after the first public meeting conducted by the Attorney General in accordance with Section 5922. (c) The proposed agreement or transaction involves a multifacility health system serving multiple communities, rather than a single facility.

(Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 782, Sec. 6. (AB 651) Effective January 1, 2018.)

Page 5 of 8

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download